Photo By Sgt. Pedro Cardenas | Sgt. Fernando Sotelo (far right), field instructor, Field Company, Weapons and Field...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Marines of Field Company, Weapons and Field Training Battalion, raced in a squad competition at Edson Range, Aug. 23.
The purpose of the competition was for the Marines to stay proficient in their infantry skills, especially since they teach recruits infantry tactics.
Proficiency in their field skills is important for Marines of Field Company because recruits spend the majority of week seven of recruit training, known as Field Week, implementing small unit tactics such as land navigation, patrolling, camouflaging, hand and arm signals and hiking.
“Most of the Marines in my company are infantrymen and in order for them to stay proficient in their skills, we have to include those basic skills in their physical training,” said 1st Sgt. Randy L. Jackson, Field Co. first sergeant, WFTBn. “This training is going to help them when they give recruits classes, making them more effective instructors.”
Before the competition began, 10 items were placed on a mat for Marines to memorize. Then, the race started with a two-mile combat utility uniform and boots run to the Obstacle Course. Once they arrived, each squad went through the O-Course twice without leaving any member behind.
The O-Course is a series of obstacles. First, Marines began by pulling their body weight over a raised bar.
They then had to balance across wood beams, hurdle over walls and then climb to the top of a 20-foot rope. If a Marine was not able to climb the rope, they had to perform 25 repetitions of a difficult workout.
Upon the first completion of the O-Course, the squad leader requested a fire mission. A call for fire usually contains the type of fire and location of the target. Once the request went through, the squad had to complete the course a second time.
After the O-course, the Marines performed a casualty evacuation drill. The squad leaders received an injury card, stating the body part and injury to the casualty, while a designated member of the squad performed first aid on a simulated victim. Then, the squad transported the injured Marine to an evacuation zone, which was marked by an orange cone.
Some squads took turns carrying their simulated casualty while other squads decided to carry the casualty on a stretcher, which distributed the weight evenly.
Once they arrived to the evacuation zone, Marines had to set a security perimeter of 40 feet by 40 feet to provide a landing zone for a medical evacuation aircraft.
“The landing zone drill is important during a medical evacuation. Especially in Afghanistan, you have to establish an LZ. You have to account for your environment because you can’t just land a bird just anywhere,” said Sgt. Fernando Sotelo, field instructor and a San Diego native.
When the evacuation drill concluded, the Marines ran approximately two miles back to base camp. There, they wrote down and described in detail all 10 objects shown to them at the beginning of the race in an allotted amount of time.
This was part of a game known as a K.I.M., or Keep in Memory, which is used for Marines to observe the environment around them for intelligence gathering.
Throughout the competition, Marines of each squad had to remain together, which promoted team work.
Every part of the course was a simulation of a combat environment. During a combat deployment, their expertise may help during a mission or save the life of a fellow Marine.
“Everything we did today, call for fire, casualty evacuation and establishing landing zones, you will encounter in an active combat area,” said Sotelo. “That little thing you may have remembered on that patrol can probably help you the next time around.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2013 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 114247 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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